Bison Stuffed Peppers
Looking for an easy and healthy weeknight meal that will shake up the weekly routine? These colorful bison stuffed peppers are filled with a delicious mixture of ground bison and barley.
Bison is leaner than most other types of red meat, making it a healthier alternative to pair with the high fiber in barley. Baked until the peppers are perfectly tender, this healthy dinner night can easily be made into tacos or burritos too!
Bison Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 8 oz Great Range Brand Premium Bison
- 1 cup cooked barley
- 6-8 multi-color sweet bell peppers - seeds removed
- 1/2 sweet onion - finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic - minced
- 1 cup diced tomato
- 1/2 cup carrot - finely chopped
- 2-3 cremini mushrooms - finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon spicy harissa
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1` tablespoon fresh cilantro OR parsley - chopped and more for topping
- 1 egg
- 1 cup queso fresco - crumbled
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella - and more for topping
- 1/2 cup cotija cheese - for topping
- sour cream - for topping
Instructions
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Cook the barley ‘al dente’ according to the instructions on the package. Prep the rest of the ingredients while the barley is cooking.
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Preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove the top quarter of each of the peppers, including the stems and all the seeds inside to leave a completely hollow pepper. Slice off a flat bottom as needed to get the pepper to stand on its own.* Place the peppers open side up in a shallow greased baking dish. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
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Add the olive oil to a large skillet over medium high heat. When the olive oil is hot, sauté the onions, mushroomsand carrots and sauté for 2-3 minutes before adding the diced tomato.
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Next add the ground bison to the skillet and stir into the sauteed veggies. When the bison is just beginning to brown, stir in the cooked barley.
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Then stir in the minced garlic, smoked paprika, chili powder, spicy harissa and fresh cilantro. Continue to cook until the bison is browned and the vegetables are tender – about 8-10 minutes. Cool the bison mixture for 10 minutes or until it is no longer steaming.**
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When the bison mixture is no longer steaming hot, stir in the crumbled queso fresco, shredded mozzarella, and egg. Stir until the egg is completely combined.
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Spoon the bison mixture into the peppers until the peppers are full and the mixture is heaped on top. Cover generously with mozzarella cheese. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, until the peppers are cooked through.
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Rest for 10 minutes prior to serving to fully set the bison mixture in the middle. Serve with additional topping of cotija, mozzarella and sour cream. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
*NOTE: Pick peppers with four ‘points’ on the bottom for the best free-standing peppers!
**NOTE: It is important to wait until the bison mixture is not steaming hot in order to not instantly cook the egg when it is added.
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